The origins of id Software's groundbreaking first-person shooter, Wolfenstein 3D, are more complex than the iconic game itself. A recent video featuring John Romero and Adrian Carmack discussing id's early history revealed that the true pioneering effort was their pre-Wolfenstein adventure game, Catacomb 3D.
Catacomb 3D, released in 1992, showcased innovative features for its time, including mouse support and color-coded keys. Its use of texture maps to render walls added a new level of immersion to the gameplay experience. However, despite these groundbreaking elements, the game's reception was lukewarm, with some critics viewing it as too gimmicky.
According to Romero, the team initially struggled to monetize Catacomb 3D, earning a paltry $5,000 through contract work for Softdisk's Gamer's Edge magazine-on-a-disk. In contrast, each episode of id Software's Commander Keen series earned ten times that amount, cementing the decision to focus on fast-paced action-oriented games.
The team began working on a seventh Commander Keen game with parallax scrolling and full VGA color support before realizing it was "just like a weird gimmick thing" – a sentiment echoed by John Carmack. It wasn't until they encountered the intense excitement of playing through Catacomb 3D's corridors, complete with an in-game troll that left one team member speechless, that they decided to pivot and create Wolfenstein 3D.
The decision to shift focus towards first-person shooters proved to be a winning strategy for id Software. As Carmack noted, "that's where the future was going," and within two weeks of realizing it, the team had abandoned their Commander Keen project to bring forth what would become an iconic genre-defining game: Wolfenstein 3D.
Through this insightful retrospective video, we see that id Software's foray into Catacomb 3D marked a pivotal moment in their development as a studio. It was there, experimenting with innovative features like texture maps and first-person gameplay, that they laid the groundwork for some of their most beloved titles – including Wolfenstein 3D itself.
Catacomb 3D, released in 1992, showcased innovative features for its time, including mouse support and color-coded keys. Its use of texture maps to render walls added a new level of immersion to the gameplay experience. However, despite these groundbreaking elements, the game's reception was lukewarm, with some critics viewing it as too gimmicky.
According to Romero, the team initially struggled to monetize Catacomb 3D, earning a paltry $5,000 through contract work for Softdisk's Gamer's Edge magazine-on-a-disk. In contrast, each episode of id Software's Commander Keen series earned ten times that amount, cementing the decision to focus on fast-paced action-oriented games.
The team began working on a seventh Commander Keen game with parallax scrolling and full VGA color support before realizing it was "just like a weird gimmick thing" – a sentiment echoed by John Carmack. It wasn't until they encountered the intense excitement of playing through Catacomb 3D's corridors, complete with an in-game troll that left one team member speechless, that they decided to pivot and create Wolfenstein 3D.
The decision to shift focus towards first-person shooters proved to be a winning strategy for id Software. As Carmack noted, "that's where the future was going," and within two weeks of realizing it, the team had abandoned their Commander Keen project to bring forth what would become an iconic genre-defining game: Wolfenstein 3D.
Through this insightful retrospective video, we see that id Software's foray into Catacomb 3D marked a pivotal moment in their development as a studio. It was there, experimenting with innovative features like texture maps and first-person gameplay, that they laid the groundwork for some of their most beloved titles – including Wolfenstein 3D itself.
I'm low-key impressed by how much we didn't know about Catacomb 3D 
! Did you know it dropped in '92? 
That's like, ancient internet history 
. The game's mouse support and color-coded keys were total game-changers (pun intended) 
. And let's be real, who doesn't love a good troll in a video game? 
. Commander Keen episodes earned way more than Catacomb, so it makes sense they shifted focus to fast-paced action games 
.
. Did you know Wolfenstein 3D was released in '93? 
!
. It's crazy to think about how that game, which some people thought was too gimmicky back then, ended up paving the way for one of the most iconic FPS games ever made 
id should've at least made a bigger splash with it, i mean who doesn't love a good retro fps? 
was definitely the turning point for them
. But it's dope to see how it influenced Wolfenstein 3D and paved the way for their success 
.
. They're trying to distract us from the real story here. I mean, think about it, Catacomb 3D was basically a prototype for Wolfenstein 3D, but instead of going with that direction, id Software chose to go down a completely different rabbit hole with Commander Keen 
. I'm not buying it. There's always more to the story, folks 
.
I'm surprised to hear about Catacomb 3D's impact on id Software's development. It's easy to overlook it now, but seeing how it influenced their later work is really cool 
. It just goes to show that sometimes taking risks and trying new things can lead to something amazing 
.
They were like the OG pioneers of 1st person shooters! 
It's crazy to think that id Software struggled to monetize Catacomb but still managed to create something so revolutionary. The texture maps tho 
are just genius! Can't wait for more retro gaming content 
. I guess you could say Catacomb 3D was like a test run for their future success 
. Anyway, I'm glad we're getting to see more of id Software's early history being uncovered and shared with us today 
.
It's crazy how id Software took those early experiments and turned them into something so huge with Wolfenstein 3D. I guess you could say they really found their stride around that time. 
. It's crazy that each Commander Keen episode earned ten times more than Catacomb 3D! The team must've learned from their experience and applied those skills to create Wolfenstein 3D 
. It's no wonder they pivoted towards first-person shooters, it seems like the future was calling their name 
.
. It's amazing how that game has stood the test of time and still influences games today 
.
, but id software saw the potential in fast-paced action games and ran with it 
, and it's awesome they listened to their own feedback and adjusted course when playing catacomb 3d 